Filling system for an anesthetic dispenser

ABSTRACT

A filling system for an anesthetic dispenser has a coding feature. An opening ( 29 ) is provided at a connection piece top side ( 10 ) of an outlet connection piece ( 8 ) of a bottle adapter ( 100 ). The opening ( 29 ) is connected to the lateral slots ( 9 ) and a length of rods on an inner wall of the filling connection piece is dimensioned such that they mesh both with the slots ( 9 ) and with the opening ( 29 ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Patent Application DE 10 2010 035 993.9 filed Sep. 1, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a filling system for an anesthetic dispenser.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A filling system for an anesthetic dispenser has become known from DE 10 2004 063 883 B3. To be able to fill anesthetic into an anesthetic evaporator, a bottle adapter is needed, which makes the connection between the reservoir for liquid anesthetic and the filling device at the anesthetic evaporator. At the bottle-side end of the bottle adapter, a threaded sleeve is provided, which has two grooves for mounting an index collar attached to the neck of the reservoir. The index collar is coded anesthetic-specific, so that only the bottle adapter fitting the reservoir can be screwed onto the bottle thread.

An anesthetic-specific coding in the form of an outer polygonal course, which meshes with a corresponding inner polygonal course at the filling connection piece of the filling device, is likewise provided at the adapter neck of the bottle adapter.

The outlet connection piece of the bottle adapter is closed by means of a spring-loaded adapter valve, so that no anesthetic can leak into the environment. A corresponding fill valve is provided at the filling device. On the inner wall of the filling connection piece are attached inwardly directed rods, which mesh with corresponding slots at the outlet connection piece of the bottle adapter and actuate the adapter valve upon pressing the reservoir. The interplay between the bottle adapter and the filling device is designed such that first the fill valve at the filling device opens and then the adapter valve at the bottle adapter opens. Liquid anesthetic can then flow from the reservoir into the tank of the anesthetic evaporator. Reference is expressly made to the entire disclosure content of DE 10 2004 063 883 B3, which is part of this patent application (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,561 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A basic object of the present invention is to provide a filling system for an anesthetic dispenser with an additional coding possibility.

According to the invention, a filling system is provided for an anesthetic dispenser. The filling system comprises an anesthetic evaporator, a bottle adapter having an adapter neck and an outlet connection piece comprising a slot running in the radial direction and a central opening connected to the slot. A filling device is provided at the anesthetic evaporator with a filling connection piece for mounting the adapter neck. A rod structure is fastened to the filling connection piece. The rod structure includes a rod extending radially from a center and meshing with the central opening.

The rod structure may comprises a spoked wheel configuration including the rod and a central flange. The slots may comprise a slot structure with a spoked wheel configuration at the outlet connection piece of the bottle adapter. The flange may be designed corresponding to the central opening. The central opening may comprise an extension of the slot.

The spoked wheel configuration of the rod structure may comprise the rod and additional rods and the flange as a central punctiform portion or a virtual connection point, at which the rods converge in a center of the filling connection piece.

Provisions are made according to the present invention to provide a central opening, on the front side of the outlet connection piece of the bottle adapter, which is connected to the lateral slots. On the inner wall of the filling connection piece are fastened rods, pointing radially inwards, which preferably protrude at right angles from the inner wall and whose length is dimensioned, such that they mesh both with the slots and with the opening. Instead of the preferred plurality of rods, at least one rod is present. With a rod length designed in this way, bottle adapters, which do not have a central opening on the front side of the bottle adapter, can no longer be inserted into the filling device. If, by contrast, the rod length is dimensioned such that the rods lie exclusively in the lateral slots, bottle adapters both with front-side and without front-side opening can be used. It is especially advantageous that the coding provided according to the present invention is downwards-compatible with the solution known from DE 10 2004 063 883 B3, such that filling devices and bottle adapters that are present can continue to be used. As alternatives to a central opening, the slots may also be continued or extended towards the center, or widen towards the center. These and equally acting solutions are also expressly intended to be covered by patent protection.

It is especially advantageous to design the rod as a spoked wheel with a central flange and to design the slots at the outlet connection piece of the bottle adapter and front-side opening corresponding to the spoked wheel and to the flange. The spoked wheel consists of individual rods, which are directed towards the center of the filling connection piece and are connected to one another in the center via the flange. Additional codings can be created via the diameter of the flange and the inside diameter of the opening. The flange may either have a circular design or it is only a connection point, which connects the spokes to one another. As an alternative, the flange may be a virtual connection point, at which the spokes converge in the center.

It also lies within the framework of the present invention that the bottle adapter does not have a threaded sleeve, but rather is rigidly connected to the reservoir for liquid anesthetic or is directly flanged to the reservoir.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in the drawings and explained in detail below. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an anesthetic dispenser with a filling device for anesthetic according to the invention, and showing a bottle adapter according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bottle adapter according to the state of the art;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a bottle adapter according to the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a top view showing a filling device according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings in particular, FIG. 1 shows as an example an anesthetic dispenser 21 with a filling device 20 for anesthetic. A reservoir 30 for liquid anesthetic is provided with a bottle adapter 1, which has an adapter neck 5. For the filling process the adapter neck 5 is inserted into the filling device 20 and the reservoir 30 is pressed in the direction of the filling device 20.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a bottle adapter 1 according to the state of the art, as disclosed in DE 10 2004 063 883 B3. The bottle adapter 1 has a threaded sleeve 2 on its bottom side for screwing onto the reservoir 30 (FIG. 1). The reservoir 30 has an anesthetic-specific index collar (not shown in detail), which is inserted into mounting grooves 3 of the threaded sleeve 2. Thus, only one bottle adapter 1 belonging to the anesthetic can be screwed onto the reservoir 30. The screwing motion is hereby facilitated by means of recessed grips 4 above the threaded sleeve 2. An adapter neck 5 with an O-ring 6 is located at the upper end of the bottle adapter 1. The upper end of the bottle adapter 1 has an outer polygonal course 7 for anesthetic-specific coding as well as an outlet connection piece 8 with radially running slots 9. The connection piece top side 10 is designed as a star-shaped body 11.

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottle adapter 100 according to the present invention. Identical components are provided with identical reference numbers of FIG. 2. The bottle adapter 100 has an outlet connection piece 80 with radially running slots 90. A connection piece top side 110 includes a shaped body 111. The fact that the shaped body 111 has a central opening 29 in the area of the connection piece surface 110 is different from the bottle adapter 1 according to FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates the filling device 20 in detailed sections. The filling device 20 has a filling connection piece 22 with a cylindrical sealing surface 23 and a lead-in bevel 24 for the O-ring of the bottle adapter 1, 100. With the bottle adapter 1, 100 inserted, the O-ring 6 lies against the sealing surface 23 of the filling connection piece 22. In the filling connection piece 22 is arranged an inner polygonal course 27, which is designed corresponding to the outer polygonal course 7 of the bottle adapter 1, 100. On the inner wall of the filling connection piece 22 are fastened radially inwards directed rods 26, which are designed as a spoked wheel 25 with a flange 28 mounted in the center. The rods 26 mesh with the slots 9 of the bottle adapter 100 according to the present invention and the flange 28 lies in the area of the opening 29 and is designed corresponding to the opening 29 in terms of diameter. When the reservoir 30 is pressed against the filling device 20, a fill valve (not shown in detail) within the filling device is opened through the connection piece top side and the rods 26 bring about that an adapter valve (not shown in detail) in the bottle adapter 100 is opened, so that anesthetic can flow from the reservoir 30 into the anesthetic dispenser 21. Upon completion of the filling process, first the adapter valve closes, so that any residual amounts of anesthetic within the filling connection piece 22 can flow out into the tank of the anesthetic dispenser 21. Then the fill valve is closed and the bottle adapter 100 can be removed from the filling connection piece 22.

By contrast, the bottle adapter 1 shown in FIG. 2 cannot be used in the filling device 20 according to FIG. 4, since the spoked wheel 25 lies with the flange 28 on the filling connection piece 22 and the rods 26 cannot be inserted into the slots 11 of the connection piece top side 10. A filling of the anesthetic dispenser 21 is not possible with the bottle adapter 1, even though it would be compatible with regard to its anesthetic-specific coding.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

APPENDIX List of Reference Numbers 1 Bottle adapter 2 Threaded sleeve 3 Mounting groove 4 Recessed grip 5 Adapter neck 6 O-ring 7 Outer polygonal course 8 Outlet connection piece 9 Slot 10 Connection piece top side 11 Star-shaped body 20 Filling device 21 Anesthetic dispenser 22 Filling connection piece 23 Sealing surface 24 Lead-in bevel 25 Spoked wheel 26 Rod 27 Inner polygonal course 28 Flange 29 Opening 30 Reservoir 80 Outlet connection piece 90 Slot 100 Bottle adapter 110 Connection piece top side 111 Shaped body 

What is claimed is:
 1. A filling system for an anesthetic dispenser, the filling system comprising: an anesthetic evaporator; a bottle adapter having an adapter neck and an outlet connection piece comprising at least one slot running in the radial direction and a central opening connected to said at least one slot; a filling device at the anesthetic evaporator with a filling connection piece for adapting the adapter neck; and at least one rod fastened to the filling connection piece, said at last one rod extending radially from a center and meshing with said central opening.
 2. A filling system in accordance with claim 1, wherein: said at least one rod comprises a rod spoked wheel configuration; said at least one slot comprises a slot spoked wheel configuration; and said flange is designed corresponding to said central opening.
 3. A filling system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said central opening comprises an extension of said at least one slot or slots.
 4. A filling system in accordance with claim 2, wherein: said rod spoked wheel configuration comprises said at least one rod, additional rods and said flange as a central punctiform portion or a virtual connection point, at which said rods converge in a center of said filling connection piece.
 5. A filling system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said central opening comprises an extension of said slot.
 6. A filling system in accordance with claim 5, wherein: said rod spoked wheel configuration comprises said at least one rod, additional rods and said flange as a central punctiform portion or a virtual connection point, at which said rods converge in a center of said filling connection piece.
 7. A filling system for an anesthetic dispenser, the filling system comprising: an anesthetic evaporator; a bottle adapter having an adapter neck and an outlet connection piece comprising a slot structure with a central opening and a slot running in the radial direction forming a continuation of said opening; a filling device at the anesthetic evaporator with a filling connection piece defining a neck adapter mount; and a rod structure fastened to the filling connection piece, said rod structure including a rod extending radially from a center, said rod extending in an axial direction into said slot running in the radial direction as said outlet connection piece is inserted into said filling connection piece with said rod structure not being blocked by said central opening.
 8. A filling system in accordance with claim 7, wherein: said rod structure comprises said rod and a central flange; said central opening comprises an extension of said slot; and said rod extends in an axial direction into said slot running in the radial direction and said flange extends in an axial direction into said central opening as said outlet connection piece is inserted into said filling connection piece.
 9. A filling system in accordance with claim 8, wherein: said rod structure comprises a spoked wheel rod configuration including said central flange, said rod and additional rods extending radially from said central flange; said slots comprise a spoked wheel slot configuration including said central opening, said slot and additional slots extending radially from said central opening at said outlet connection piece of said bottle adapter; and said spoked wheel rod configuration is complementary to said spoked wheel slot configuration with said flange corresponding to said central opening.
 10. A filling system in accordance with claim 9, wherein: said flange is a central punctiform portion or a virtual connection point, at which said rods converge in a center of said filling connection piece.
 11. A filling system for an anesthetic dispenser, the filling system comprising: an anesthetic evaporator; a bottle anesthetic reservoir; a bottle adapter attached to said bottle anesthetic reservoir, said bottle adapter comprising an adapter neck and an outlet connection piece comprising a slot structure with a central opening and a slot running in a radial direction forming a continuation of said opening; a filling device at the anesthetic evaporator with a filling connection piece defining a neck adapter mount; and a rod structure fastened to the filling connection piece, said rod structure including a rod extending radially from a central flange center, said rod extending in an axial direction into said slot running in the radial direction as said outlet connection piece is inserted into said filling connection piece with said rod structure not being blocked by said slot structure.
 12. A filling system in accordance with claim 11, wherein: said central opening comprises an extension of said slot; and said rod extends in an axial direction into said slot running in the radial direction and said flange extends in an axial direction into said central opening as said outlet connection piece is inserted into said filling connection piece.
 13. A filling system in accordance with claim 12, wherein: said rod structure comprises a spoked wheel rod configuration including said central flange, said rod and additional rods extending radially from said central flange; said slot structure comprise a spoked wheel slot configuration including said central opening, said slot and additional slots extending radially from said central opening at said outlet connection piece of said bottle adapter; and said spoked wheel rod configuration is complementary to said spoked wheel slot configuration with said flange corresponding to said central opening.
 14. A filling system in accordance with claim 13, wherein: said flange is a central punctiform portion or a virtual connection point, at which said rods converge in a center of said filling connection piece. 